The numerous models offered in the civil aviation market by the various manufacturers have traditionally been point designs, with a wide variety of engine, avionics and equipment options offered around a given airframe that have remained in production for many years with little or no technological improvement. This traditional design approach has required an extensive, hence costly, development and certification program to eliminate flaws from a given design in order to assure its airworthiness as required by the FAA rules and regulations. The point design approach for each model in a product line of civil aviation aircraft also requires a completely unique set of production tooling for the manufacture of each specific model, allowing the manufacturer little opportunity to reduce manufacturing costs through the partial or complete reuse of molds, jigs, templates or other tooling in the manufacture of other models of different size within his product line.
Other than in the field of avionics, the past forty years have seen precious little new technology applied to the design, safety and manufacture of civil aviation aircraft. Although the use of composite materials is revolutionizing the single-point design and construction of military and homebuilt aircraft, civil aviation prices continue to escalate and the number of aircraft sold continues to drop, the future of civil aviation manufacturing remains disquietingly uncertain. A technological revolution in the design and manufacture of civil aviation aircraft could dispel that gloom.
A search by the applicant reveals no relevant prior art within the field of aviation related to the present invention.